Worrying about a surfer chick
by Beckyhelene
Summary: Starts off during Thunder Storm pt. 1 and covers how things are between our favorite PRNS couples afterwards.
1. Tree is the punching bag

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Just a lil one shot at Blake's thoughts throughout the day that took place in today's episode, (Thunder Storm part 1)

Note: Some parts are from the episode, and some I added in my own creative-ness. Enjoy. :-D

Category: Mentions of Tori/Blake, possible one sided Kira/Trent, possible one sided Kira/Connor.

---

Jesse and I walked into a place called Cyberspace in the town our team was racing in this time; I think it's called Reefside. Yeah, that's it. We had some down time before we had to be at the track so we decided to go relax. We went up to the counter to order some drinks.

"Quite a place." Jesse said, looking around. I nodded, agreeing with him as I looked around as well. It seemed like the local teen hangout of this place, there were people sitting at computer terminals, sitting at tables and sitting on couches either watching TV or reading magazines. It had a pretty cool and laid back atmosphere. We had just gotten our drinks when Jesse made a face, the same face he made when people came up to us. Hey, is it my fault that whenever we go out, people seem to come up to me and ask for autographs and stuff?

"Hey." Came the voice of a girl, I turned around. She was kind of cute. She had long blonde curly hair and was dressed in a black shirt and yellow blouse with arm warmers. Kind of alternative punky like. "Do we know each other?" She asked. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jesse practically smirking. OK, so a few girls had used that as an opening line when they wanted to flirt. I looked at her.

"I don't think so." I said. "I'm Blake. This is Jesse."

"How's it going?" He asked. The girl smiled a little at him and looked at me.

"Blake, you just look so familiar to me." She said. Ah, this girl's going to continue with the whole 'have we met' flirtation routine. Most girls would by now say 'oh yeah, you're that motocross guy, hi I'm...' but this one was staying with her tactic. Interesting. I took my cap off.

"Do you follow motocross?" I asked, even though I knew she did.

"No. Why, is that what you do?" She asked. She looked like she genuinely didn't know what that was. OK, so maybe she wasn't a fan. I was about to answer when a guy came out with a note pad, asking for an autograph.

"Yeah, sure." I said. I decided to do one better and signed my cap. "Here." I said, handing it over. The guy and the girl both looked at me with shocked faces. The guy probably thinking he never thought he'd get my hat, and the girl probably thinking 'what in the world..?'.

"OK, so you're famous for riding a motorcycle?" She asked as if that was so beyond believable.

"Don't be so surprised." I said with a laugh. Jesse and I went to a foosball table. The girl followed.

"No, it's just that I didn't know you could be famous for that." She said in a tone that sounded like she felt she had just offended us and was trying to make amends. I looked at her.

"Well why don't you come see for yourself? The nationals are this week at Reefside National MX Park. Bring some friends, I'll get you passes." I said. The girl looked at me.

"Are you asking me out?" She asked. Well, aren't we a little sure of ourselves, missy. I couldn't help smile.

"No, it's nothing like that." I said. "Look, part of being a rider is spreading the word out about our sport. You know, getting people to come who never would on their own." I explained. Besides, you're not exactly my type, I thought to myself. I go more for the surfer chicks, not rocker chicks. "I promise you, you'll totally get into it." I said. The girl nodded.

"OK." She said. Jesse handed her some passes.

"Here you go." He said. She took them.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Cool." I said. She walked off to one of the couches where a guy with dark hair and a white shirt was discretely casting me a mean look. Looks like Miss Sure of Herself Rocker Chick's got a boyfriend or someone who wants to be. Jesse and I played foosball for a little while longer until Jesse told me we should head back to the park. We headed for the door then I stopped and went over to the girl. "Hey, give me your names and those of your friends, so I can put it on the list." I said.

"Oh, I'm Kira Ford, and I guess I'll bring my friends Connor McKnight, Ethan James, and Trent Mercer." She said, pointing to the guy next to her.

"I'm busy." He said quickly, his head lowered to the book he was reading. Kira looked at him then back at me.

"Ok, I guess it'll just be the three of us." She said. I nodded and left with Jesse.

-----

"Man, that guy looked like he wanted to jump you." Jesse said as we made our way back to the park. I laughed and shook my head.

"I guess." I said. Jesse looked at me.

"Why didn't you get her number? She seemed into the idea of you asking her out." He teased, nudging me a bit. I rolled my eyes.

"She's not my type." I replied.

"What is your type then? Because every single time a girl gives you some attention, you totally blow them off. Don't you know that getting chicks is one of the perks of being on magazine covers?" He said.

"_Magazine cover. _There's only been one." I corrected. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"That's so not the point. What, you got a honey you ain't telling your teammates about?" He asked. I couldn't help smile a bit at the thought of a certain blonde surfing ninja chick.

"Not exactly." I said, which was the truth. Things between Tori and I was kind of up in the air. I mean, before I left Blue Bay, I did ask if she ever wanted to check out one of my races and she seemed to like the idea, but little did we know that Sensei duties were so time consuming that even after nearly a year, we've yet to see each other again. And as far as other forms of contact, we've done email, letters, but when it came to calling, it was as if we were playing phone-tag. I'd call; leave a message because she wasn't home. She'd call; leave a message on my cell because I'd be busy. I always thought about asking about how things were between us, but I thought that kind of discussion was best for face to face interaction, not an email, letter or message on an answering machine.

------

I heard the announcer saying that my race was about to start, so I pushed my bike to the starting line. I pulled on my helmet as I heard people cheering in anticipation for the race. Soon the race started and I tore out like mad. I couldn't help thinking back on the times Hunter and I would race together back in Blue Bay. I shook my head, reminding myself to keep my head in the task at hand. Pretty soon, I was surpassing my fellow competitors and I could see the finish line just a few feet ahead. I revved up my bike as I flew through the finish line and slowed my bike to a stop. I pulled off my helmet and laughed a bit at my victory. I also saw Kira and two other guys standing at the side and cheering.

-----

After the race, Kira, her friends and I walked off the track together. One of her friends, Ethan, couldn't help grinning at the whole event. Her other friend, Connor, seemed to be giving me death glares like Trent had been earlier. This girl seems to have her own fan club.

"So, what'd you think?" I asked Kira.

"It was awesome." She smiled.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I joked.

"Thanks for hooking us up, man." Connor said.

"Ah, no problem man. Listen, what are you guys doing tonight, you want to crab a bite?" I asked as I tossed my helmet to one of the team's mechanics as they were loading my bike in the bus. Before they could answer, there was a beep from my backpack. I reached in and grabbed the communicator that Cam had given me. It was only supposed to be used for emergencies. I wondered what was going on, and I felt a little worried about my surfer chick. "Uh, I take that back." I said to my new friends. "Look's like we're gonna have to reschedule." I said.

"Is everything OK?" Kira asked, I guess I hadn't done such a great job of hiding the worry from my face.

"Yeah, I hope so." I said. "Listen, it was really nice meeting you." I said to them sincerely. "I'll catch you guys later." And then I ran off, leaving them to stare at me in confussion. Ah, leaving folks totally bewildered by my sudden exists, just like the old days.

---------------------

I streaked to a bridge where I found Hunter and Cam. Hunter turned to me and smiled.

"Blake, am I glad to see you!" He said as we clasped hands.

"I got here as soon as I could. What's up?" I asked as I shook Cam's hand.

"We got trouble, big trouble." Cam said, gesturing to the scene below us with his eyes. I looked over and froze. There where six figures fighting. Three of them where Tori, Shane and Dustin. They were also being backed by......Kelzacks? Something wasn't adding up. I saw the other three rangers get together and leave, saying they needed to regroup. The others stood together as they ran off and laughed. My ears picked up on Tori's voice specifically. It wasn't the soft laugh that I had fallen for. No, this laugh was cold and evil. Surfer chick, what has happened to you?

-------------

"How did this happen?" I demanded as Hunter, Cam and I sat in the woods, going over what we just saw.

"I have no idea." Cam said.

"I thought Lothor was gone for good." Hunter said.

"So did a lot of people." Cam said. He sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, I need a walk." He said as he got up and left. I watched him leave.

"He's worried, about his dad." Hunter said. I looked at him.

"Why, what happened to Sensei?" I asked. Hunter shrugged.

"Cam said he hasn't seen him at all today. But it's doubtful that him missing and Lothor suddenly being here are two separate things." Hunter leaned forward on the log he was sitting on. "You're worried about her, aren't you?" He asked. I looked at my brother.

"Her who?" I asked, non-chalantly.

"You know who." Hunter said. I looked down.

"Of course I am. I'm worried about her, Dustin and Shane." I said. Hunter scoffed and shook his head.

"The way you're worried about Shane and Dustin is not the same way that you're worried about Tori, admit it." He said. I sighed, Hunter could always see right through me.

"I.........Perhaps." I let out reluctantly. "It's just..."

"You love her." Hunter said, finishing my sentence. I sighed.

"Maybe." I said. Hunter leaned back. I clenched my fist and got to my feet, pacing a bit. "Man, I am going to kill Lothor." I said through clenched teeth. Anger was running through me. Lothor had taken our friends and turned them bad. Hunter and I had first hand experience with this, and I swore I'd never let anyone I cared about have to deal with that crap. I slammed by fist against a tree. It stung a bit, but I didn't care. Hunter looked at me. I was usually a calm easy going guy, which was probably why I felt so connected with Tori who was pretty calm and easy going, but there were times when my anger just had to surface and when that happened Hunter knew not to get in my way because he'd end up being on the buissness end of my fist like this tree. "How dare he do this?!" I growled. I slammed my fist against the tree again. I sighed and leaned my back against it and slid to the ground in a sitting position with my knees raised and my arms resting on them. Hunter got up and sat beside me.

"You hate the fact that Tori might have to deal with all the internal guilt and stuff that we had to deal with." Hunter stated. I nodded and lowered my head.

"She doesn't need that." I whispered.

"Look, bro, whatever hold Lothor's got on them, we'll break it." Hunter promised. I leaned my head back on the tree and looked at him.

"I hope you're right." I said.

"Hey, what did I tell you about me being the older wiser one?" Hunter joked. I closed my eyes and chuckled at his attempt to lift my spirits. Inside, I prayed that my beautiful, blonde, kind, caring, sweet, pure, smiling, ninja sensei-ing, surfer chick would be all right.


	2. Caught in the park

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: OK, I know the thing about Thunder storm pt. 1 was just going to be a one shot, but I got so many positive reviews, I knew I just had to write another. This takes place at the end of Thunder Storm pt. 2, after Blake's race at the end.

Category: Tori/Blake, a little bit of Dustin/Marah and implied Kapri/Shane, Trent/Kira, Connor/Kira, and Hunter/Cam

Note: It's in both Blake and Tori's P.O.V

----

**-TORI POV-**

After Blake's race, all us rangers (former and current) and Marah and Kapri went to the park to hang out. I think Blake was having a bit of an ego trip because of the fact that leaving the moto track was almost impossible because of all these people asking for his autographs. But we all somehow managed, and here we are, sitting in the park. I looked over and I saw Dustin and Marah sitting off to the side together. Marah's perched on his lap, and he's staring in her eyes and smoothing her hair back. I can't help but feel a little jealous of the fact that my friend has found love with the one he's thought about for a while, and me, I've got nothing. I mean, yeah, sure, there was that time that Blake did say he liked me, but that was a long time ago, almost a year. And besides, since then, how many dates has he asked me out on? Oh right, none. I mean, I guess I could ask him myself or move on but for some reason, waiting around for him is this deliciously sweet torture that I can't seem to get out of.

**-BLAKE POV-**

To my right, I see Kapri and Shane sitting at a picnic table and talking in hushed voices. Every so often Shane would lean in and whisper something in her ear and she'd giggle, throwing her head back and putting a hand on his chest, pushing him away but obviously not really wanting him to move away. Shane just smiles and moves in closer to her. Man, when did those two start getting close? I guess it's only logical, I mean her sister seems to be attached to Shane's friend and all, but Shane and Kapri? Who'd a thunk it? And then, to my left, I see Hunter and Cam standing by a tree and talking. I'm pretty sure I see soft sweet smiles coming from both of them as they shyly flirt. My brother and the Sensei's computer geek son. Well, if Kapri and Shane can find their way together, I guess it's possible for anyone to be a couple. I see Kira sitting to the side playing her guitar softly and Connor and Trent sitting by her hanging on every word that's sung out of her mouth, yet at the same time trying their best to hide the fact that they are even paying attention. I see Ethan sitting with Tommy and discussing some thing that sounds way too scientific for me to understand so I don't bother trying. It's funny. We all came out here to hang out as a group, but everyone's off with their own group, except Tori and myself. I look over at her and catch her eye. She gives me a smile and I return the gesture.

**-TORI POV-**

I see Blake looking over at me and feel my throat suddenly feel like I swallowed cotton. So, I do what I always do when he looks at me with those dark eyes-I smile. He returns the smile and I think to myself 'wow, a year of no face to face contact and that's the best we can do....Wonderful.'

**-BLAKE POV-**

All right, that's it. I refuse to be the only one of our team not perusing a romantic endeavor. I mean for god's sake, I was into Tori way before Hunter, Cam, Dustin, Marah, Shane and Kapri were into each other, so why the hell was I sitting on the sidelines? I shouldn't be! I should be in the game! And I intend to get in that game. Maybe I was still on that confident buzz from winning the race, or maybe it was just sheer desperation, but I found myself getting up and walking over to her. She looks up at me and I swear I can feel my knees turning into jell-o at the sight of her blue eyes looking up at me.

"Hey." I manage to say.

"Hey." She responds. I nervously scratch the back of my neck, unsure where to go to from there. "Great job on the race." She says. I smile.

"Thanks." I say. I clear my throat. "Uh, you want to take a walk or something?" I ask. She looks at me and slowly nods.

"Sure." She says. She gets up and brushes some grass from the seat of her jeans. The two of us walk off together. I see Hunter looking over at me and he gives me an encouraging smile. Cam looks over as well and sees us walking off together. He smiles like Hunter, but also has a look that says 'hurt her and your dead'. I know that Cam, Shane, Dustin and Tori are all really close and I know that if I ever did hurt her-not that I had any intention of doing so-even Sensei, Kapri and Marah would line up to kill me.

**-TORI POV-**

Blake and I walked off from the group together.

"So.." I began, trying to think of something to say.

"Yeah?" Blake asked. I looked at him.

"Uh..." I said. I then caught sight of his hand. The knuckles of his right hand looked beat up. How come I didn't notice that before? "Your hand." I said. Blake looks down and gets what I was talking about. "What happened?" I asked.

**-BLAKE POV-**

I suddenly got nervous. What was I supposed to say?

"I....Um...Kind of...Punched a tree..." I muttered. Tori looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Is that some new motocross training technique?" She asked. I looked at her. All right, Bradley, you've got two choices here. You can either: A) Laugh nervously and say 'uh huh, yeah'. Or B) Tell her why you used the tree as a punching bag. I took a deep breath and decided the truth was always a good bet.

"No." I said. We went and sat on a bench. I looked at her. "When you guys first fought the dino rangers," I began, I saw Tori look down. Great, she's got the guilt...Damnit Lothor! "Hunter, Cam and I saw it...Afterwards I was a little upset that you.....I mean you guys were being used by Lothor like Hunter and I had been, so I took out my anger on a tree."

**-TORI POV-**

When Blake mentioned the first fight we had with the rangers, I couldn't help but feel ashamed, especially when he said he saw it. That's not exactly a moment I would've wanted him to see. I was horrible. I was an evil thing that was taking pleasure in the fact that the other rangers were being beaten.

"You hit a tree?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said.

"Did it hurt?" I asked. Dummy, of course it hurt, he hit a friggen tree you moron.

"Not really." He said. "I was running on pure anger and adrenaline, I didn't really feel it."

"Oh." I said, unsure how else to respond to that. "I.......I'm sorry you.....I mean you, Hunter and Cam...Had to see me......Us like that." I said. "I mean, for you and Hunter, we haven't seen you guys in a while and the first time you see us, it isn't exactly in a shining moment." God, why can't I just spit it out? Why can't I just tell him I'm ashamed he in particular saw me like that because now I feel like I look like a total monster in his eyes?

**-BLAKE POV-**

I looked at Tori. She had her head lowered and looked like a puppy that had just piddled on the carpet-ashamed. I reached over and took her hand.

"Hey, just think of it as everything balancing out. You saw Hunter and me at not our best moments, so now it's like all balanced." I said to her, giving her a reassuring smile. Tori gave a weak smile.

"I guess you're right." She said. I had to suppress a smile at the fact that she wasn't exactly making a move to take her hand back. Instead, I sort of felt her settle her hand in mine a bit, as if she had no intention of taking it back any time soon. "So, how's life been in the professional racing world?" She asked.

"It's been all right. Although with all this traveling, I could use a break soon." I said. Tori laughed. Oh that beautiful sound. It was so much better then that evil cackle from before.

"Oh, boo-hoo." She teased. "You're this globe-trotting athletic celebrity. Yeah, I could see how that could suck." She said. I laughed.

"I didn't say it sucked, I just said it was tiring me out." I corrected her. Tori giggled.

"Yeah, well, it sounds amazing." She said. "Seeing all these great places and all. I mean, the last letter you sent to me was all the way from Brazil." She said.

"Oh yeah, racing there was fun. I couldn't understand a word the announcers said. I ended up racing in the 250 race because didn't know they hadn't announced the start of the 125 race yet." I said, blushing slightly. Tori laughed. "Oh yeah, Roger and the other guys on the team thought it was hilarious too. That is, until Jesse, one of my teammates, made a similar mistake the next day."

"Oh you poor, poor things." Tori said, laughing still. I couldn't help smile like a kid on Christmas morning. Making Tori smile and laugh was the best thing in the entire world, and having her hand in mine also added onto the greatness factor of this situation.

**-TORI POV-**

I'm not sure what made me do what I did next. Maybe it was the extremely laid back atmosphere we were in right now, or maybe it was my head doing crazy things because I was sitting so close to him. I suddenly swept my thumb over his cut up knuckles. I heard him hiss a bit. I looked at him.

"Are you OK? I thought you said it doesn't hurt." I said, afraid I had hurt him.

"No, no, it's ok." He said quickly. "It didn't hurt at the time, but now, it's a little sore, no big deal." He said. Again, maybe it was the fact I was so close to him, I have no idea. All I know is, next thing, I lifted his hand up to my face and pressed my lips against his knuckles lightly.

**-BLAKE POV-**

Was I dreaming? Maybe at that last race I had hit my head and was now hallucinating. Or maybe I did fall into the bottom of the abyss and was now dead and in heaven. How else could I explain the fact that Tori's soft lips were pressed against my sore hand? I just stared at her. I guess she suddenly felt nervous or something because as suddenly as this dream come true had started, it ended. She let go of my hand, which fell back down limply, and moved away from me a little bit.

"Oh..Uh...Uhm...I...Sorry...Uh.." She stammered.

"No, no, it's OK." I said, I'm pretty sure I sounded like an idiot, just staring at her like that. But to be honest, I had no idea what to say or what to do.

"I just.." She said. "I don't know..I.." Whatever it was that had caused her to do that was probably the same thing that caused me to do what I did right then.

**-TORI POV-**

"I just..." I said. "I don't know..I..." I felt flustered and nervous. What the heck just happened. "I-" I started to try and make a coherent sentence again, but something cut me off. More specifically, Blake quickly cupping my face and capturing my lips in a kiss. Whatever I had tried to say got lost on his lips as I slowly sank into it like a hot knife through butter. My hands didn't exactly know how to respond, or react to this so they just sat on my lap as Blake and I kissed. I felt him suck my bottom lip into his mouth and his tongue gently sweeps past it, obviously trying to deepen our kiss. I instantly obliged his wishes and opened my mouth, allowing him full access to it as our tongues danced together. One of his hands slipped down my face and down to my legs as he leaned in closer to me. My hands suddenly regained their senses and went to his shoulders, pulling him closer.

**-BLAKE POV-**

Tori's lips, tongue, hands, everything, felt so good. I had pulled one of her legs over mine as the two of us melted into each other and fit perfectly like to pieces of a puzzle. Our shy, simple kiss had started out slow but had now escalated into a hot and passionate make out session. I wanted to taste her. All of her. My lips left hers and I couldn't help grin slightly at the unhappy groan she let out, but it soon died down as my lips found a new home on her neck. I gently kissed her pulse point.

"Oh..Blake..." She whispered, pulling me closer. We weren't Blake and Tori anymore. Now we were BlakeandTori, and I don't think either of us seemed to mind that at all. In the distance, I could hear something rustling, but Tori and I were too lost in each other to notice.

"He's kind of busy.." I heard someone whisper.

"Shut up! It's getting good!" Another voice whispered.

**-TORI POV-**

Blake and I were lost in one another when I heard voices. I turned my head and nearly gasped. Standing a few feet away from us were two people. One guy was holding a camera and a girl who looked like a blonde version of Marah.

"Uh...Blake..." I said.

"Mmm?" He said, busy kissing up and down my neck. Arg, this felt too good to stop, but I knew we should. Oh was this blonde Marah going to get a piece of my mind. And why the hell was that camera on us?!

"We've...Got some company." I said. Blake sat up.

"Huh?" He asked. I pointed over to the side. He looked over.

"Marah?" He asked, confused. The girl put on a big smile and walked over to us.

"Hi, Mr. Bradley, I'm Cassidy Cornell, I work for-"

"Uh, yeah...What do you want?" Blake asked, a little annoyed. I tried not to laugh at how cute he looked right now.

"Uh, nothing. Cassidy, we should go." The guy said.

"Devin, if I want your opinion, I'll ask for it." Cassidy said. She looked at us, giving us a wide smile. "I was wondering if we could get an interview with you." She said. Blake stared at her like she had gone completely crazy.

"I was kind of.....In the middle of something." He said.

"Oh right." Cassidy said. She stepped back and made the guy, Devin, raise up the camera. "Continue." She said.

**-BLAKE POV-**

My eyes widened. Tori and I quickly disentangled ourselves and I looked at the other two.

"Right....About that interview." I said. I looked at Tori, who bit her lip, holding in her laughter.

End for now.

------------------------------------------------

AN: I was originally going to make this fic just about Thunder Storm, but after lots of thinking, and suggestions from my beloved Twisted Emotions co-author, I've decided to make this a long fic. I'll have the next chapter up some time within the next few days. Love yas.


	3. Are you, you know, gay?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Takes place during Blake and Tori's embarrassing encounter with Cassidy and Devin. Hunter reflects on how things are with him and Cam and how they were after Lothor got sucked into the Abyss of Evil.

Category: Hunter/Cam, Blake/Tori

Note: Told in Hunter's POV.

2nd Note: This deals with homosexuality and bisexuality, if that in anyway gets your panties in a bunch, do not read any further.

------

I hadn't realized how much I had missed Cam during the time we hadn't seen each other until he contacted me about the possibility of the Abyss being opened. It was almost as big of a shock as when I had realized I had feelings for him. Cam and I would talk occasionally and we became really close during our time as Rangers. I didn't tell anyone one about the time we spent together, not even Blake. I was never sure why. I guess part of me felt like I wanted to keep Cam and our bonding moments to myself.

**-FLASHBACK-**

It was the night following our graduation from Ninja School. We were all having a barb-b-q in the park as sort of a "glad the world's not going to hell in a handbasket/woohoo we graduated' party. I remembered sitting at a table and watching everyone around me. Marah and Dustin had gone off to talk in private, later we all found out she was apologizing to him profusely for the whole Beevil incident, Shane was looking on the stakes, hotdogs, burgers, and veggie burgers (for Marah and Dustin...One thing they had in common-vegetarianism.) that were cooking on the grill and also talking to Kapri about what Ninja School would be like. Blake and Tori were sort of floating around but never in the same place at the same time as each other. Someone was missing. I looked around trying to locate that elusive gre....I mean former green ranger.

"Cam?" I called as I walked into the wooded area of the park. I walked deeper into the woods where I found him sitting by a lake on a log. I sat down beside him.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." He replied, not looking at me. His eyes were kept on the lake.

"You OK?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Well, you're missing the festivities." I said. Cam sighed.

"Watching one cousin trying to make a love connection with Dustin while the other cousin asks Shane if she can convert her Ninja Uniform into a mid-drift and Capri outfit is not my idea of fun." Cam said, his eyes still on the water. I chuckled.

"You've got to admit though, it is kind of funny....Kapri wearing Capris..." I said. Cam looked at me as if I had uttered the stupidest thing in the world, which instantly shut me up. "....Or not..." I said. Cam sighed and stood up from the log. He walked deeper into the woods. I followed. Cam groaned. "The whole purpose of me leaving was sort of a hint that I wanted to be alone." He said when he heard my footsteps behind him.

"Cam, come on, there's something wrong, I can tell." I said as I reached over and put a hand on his shoulder with the attempt to turn him around to face me. Next thing I knew, Cam was flipping me over his shoulder and I was landing on the ground with a loud THUD. "Ow.." I groaned.

"Just leave me alone." He growled. I saw anger and sadness in his eyes. What was bugging him? He walked off. I pushed myself to my feet and ran after him. I quickly grabbed his arm and turned him to face me.

"I'm not leaving you alone." I said. "Now, something's wrong and-"

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." Cam said, interrupting me. "Mind letting go of my arm?"

"Cam, you just threw me on the ground, you are definitely not fine." I said. Cam glared at me. He snatched his arm away.

"When were you planning on telling me about your teaching position at the Thunder Academy?" He finally asked.

"I....Uh..." I began. I was stumped. Why hadn't I told him the minute I found out like I did with Blake and Tori? Part of me said that I just saw them first and I just hadn't seen Cam to be able to tell him, but another part of me knew that was a flat out lie.

"I had to hear it from Tori. Oh yeah, it was really fun when she said to me 'wow it's going to be so weird without Blake and Hunter around'." Cam said, his tone sounding insulted and close to tears.

"I meant to tell you." I said.

"Yeah, whatever." Cam said. He went to leave. I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait a second." I said. "Fine, now you know." I said when he looked at me. "Aren't you going to like wish me luck or anything? I mean this is like a chance of a lifetime." I said. "I'm going to have a high teaching position at-"

"Yeah, congrats, have fun, see ya." Cam said coldly.

"What is up with you?" I asked. "Are you upset I didn't tell you? All right, I'm sorry, now can you stop acting like a freakin' child and come back with me to the party?" I asked, loosing my temper.

"God, you don't get it, do you?" Cam asked, annoyed.

"Get what?" I asked, exasperated. "That you're blowing this way out of proportion?"

"That I don't want you to go!" He yelled at me. I was a little shocked that he said it and I released his arm.

"Wha..What?" I asked. A flash of regret passed over his face. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Forget it." He said. He went to leave again. I groaned and ran after him, stopping right in front of him.

"No, no, you're not leaving." I said. "You're upset, we should talk about this."

"Hunter, just leave me alone. I'm tired. I'm tired of talking and I'm tired of pretending and I-"

"Pretending, pretending what?" I asked, totally lost on what he was getting at.

"It's nothing.....forg-"

"If you say 'forget it' one more time, I swear I'll pound you." I said. Cam spun around on his heel and walked back the other way. "Damnit!" I growled, profoundly annoyed by his avoidance and constant walking away. I followed him yet again and we found ourselves back at the lake were this discussion had started. I was right behind him and he suddenly turned to yell at me some more but I guess he hadn't figured I'd be right in his face and he jumped back a bit, only to lose his balance and start to stumble. I grabbed his arm to help balance him but we ended up falling into the lake and pulling me in with him. The two of us broke the surface coughing a bit. "Are you OK?" I asked. Cam glared at me and shoved me under the water.

"You jerk! You made me fall in!" He yelled. I got up.

"Sorry, ok!" I yelled back at him. "It was an accident. Besides, it's not like I meant to do it." I said. Cam shoved me again, this time my back bumped into the edge of the lake. Cam stood right in front of me. He looked severely pissed and for some reason the sight of him standing there with water dripping off his nose and hair looked incredibly hot. Whoa....I thought. Cam's your friend...There's nothing else going on there. I mean, sure, I had discovered I had interests in both sexes a while ago, a fact I didn't exactly share with the world I'll admit, but me being interested in Cam? Not likely.

"Why don't you just go off to the Thunder Academy and leave me alone?" He snarled. He turned away and went back to the other side of the lake, again, I followed. I was getting a little annoyed that I had somehow become his lapdog..Where ever he went, I followed. He climbed out of the lake and sat on the ground. I got out and sat beside him. I took a deep breath, careful not to let my temper slip any further out of my grasp.

"Look," I began. "I'm going to miss hanging with you and everyone else." I said. "But I've always wanted to be a sensei and when Sensei Amino offered me the position, how could I refuse?" I asked. Cam closed his eyes. I saw his jaw tightened and his chin quiver slightly as if he was trying not to cry. The two of us sat there in silence for a while. I kept hopping for him to either say something or slug me, either way I'd know what was going on in his head.

"I'll miss you." He finally said, barely above a whisper. His voice hitched a bit from the tears he was holding in. I reached over and pulled him into a hug. Cam buried his face in my shoulder and continued to cry. I sat there with him rubbing his back gently as he cried. After a while, his tears subsided yet he didn't move away from me. "I have a confession to make." He said. He lifted his head up and pulled back so he could look at me. "You know how today when we all got to the action games you and I separated from the others?" He asked.

"Uh yeah, I said I wanted to check out some girls and you said you wanted to as well." I said.

"I didn't want to check out the girls." He said. I looked at him, fully confused.

"Then why did you come with me?" I asked.

"Because I-" He cut himself off. It was like he was just about to unload a huge weight off his chest, then decided better of it and kept it there.

"Because you what?" I asked, not letting him off the hook that easily.

"Because I just felt like hanging out with you I guess." He shrugged as he said the obvious lie.

"Come on, spill." I said. Cam sighed.

"It's nothing." Cam said.

"Why don't you just tell me then, if it's nothing." I said. Cam looked down.

"You'll be ticked off." He said.

"I won't, just tell me." I said.

"Will you quit rushing me?" Cam asked. "This isn't exactly easy."

"OK, ok, sorry." I said. Cam took a deep breath.

"I went because I wanted to be with you because I like you." He said quickly. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Is that it?" I asked. "Cam, I like you too...We're friends after all." I said. Cam's face fell as he looked at me.

"No, that's not what I mean." He said. "My god, you are so dense." He muttered.

"Hey!" I yelled, a little insulted. Cam got up.

"Forget I even said anything, this was just a bad idea." He said. I got up as well.

"Cam, don't start with the whole 'nothing's wrong, forget it,' walk away routine again cause frankly, I'm getting sick of it." I said.

"Well, it's not my fault that you're not picking up on the fact that I'm trying to tell you that I think I'm in love with you." He said in an annoyed tone. My eyes widened like two huge saucers. Cam looked at me. He let out a painful sigh. "I didn't mean to say that." He said. He walked to a tree and rested his forehead against it. I numbly stood there trying to process what was just said.

"You...what?" I asked. Cam sighed.

"I guess I should've told you I was gay first, huh?" He muttered. I blinked.

"Uh, yeah, that might've helped." I said in an incredulous tone. Cam sighed again.

"Are we........Okay?" He asked. I didn't answer. Instead I walked over to him and took his shoulder and turned him to face me. I saw him wince a bit, as if he expected me to hit him or yell at him. Man, was he wrong. I took his face in my hands and dove in kissing his lips. He was too shocked to respond and just stood there. After the kiss I pulled back a bit and looked at him. His eyes were glazed over with shock.

"Yeah, I think we're OK." I said with a smile. Cam blinked and looked at me.

"Whoa—Wha-What just happened?" He asked.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I just kissed you." I said. Cam stood up straight and moved away from me a bit.

"I know that I mean.." He said. He stared at me. "OK, why did you kiss me?" Cam asked.

"Because I wanted to." I said. Why exactly was he complaining here?

"Yeah but why did you want to?" Cam asked.

"Hey, I don't know what makes people want to do things. I'm not a psychologist."

"Did you do it out of pity or something?" Cam asked. "I mean were you just curious on what it would be like to kiss a guy?" I couldn't help chuckle a bit. "What's so funny?" Cam asked.

"You are." I said. "No offense Cam, but you're not the first guy I've kissed." I admitted. Cam stared at me.

"Come again?" He asked, a little surprised. I laughed a bit more. He looked so cute when he was confused. "Wait...You're Hunter..I mean you're always talking about girls and stuff." Cam said, unable to grasp what I had just said.

"Yeah." I said.

"Is girls code word for guys or something?" Cam asked. "I mean are you.......you know.....gay?" He asked.

"No." I answered. "I guess you could say I see options on both ends."

"As in you're bi?" Cam asked. I nodded. "Oh." He said. "Huh." He breathed out and sat on a log. I went and sat beside him.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"N-No, I'm just a little surprised, that's all." Cam said. "I mean, I didn't know and-"

"The only one who knows is Blake." I explained. "And that's only because he caught me kissing a fellow ninja at the Thunder Academy when I was fifteen."

"That must've been interesting." Cam said, smirking a bit.

"Oh yeah. Later that night we were in our room and he just looked at me and kept like almost hyperventilating and saying things like 'Hunter, you're my bro, whatever choices you make in life are cool and I just want you to know that I still care about you'. It was quite funny." I said. Cam laughed. He looked at me.

"So, do you.." Cam asked, his voice trailing off.

"I don't know." I said honestly, understanding that he was about to ask if I was in love with him. "I mean I'm still a little surprised I like you as more then a friend." I admitted. "I mean....It's a little weird realizing you have the hots for one of your good friends." I said. Cam raised an eyebrow.

"So, you have the 'hots' for me, huh?" He asked. "I guess I can live with that." He said.

"OK." I said.

"So...You're really leaving for the Thunder Academy?" He asked. I nodded sadly.

"Part of me wants to stay here, with you...But-"

"It's your dream. You've got to persue it." Cam said, finishing my sentence.

"Yeah." I said. He nodded.

"So...Would it be completely stupid and uncalled for if I said I'd get jealous if you started hanging around someone a lot over there?" He asked. I smiled and put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to me.

"No, but only if I can be jealous if you start hanging around any guys here." I whispered against his lips as I went to kiss him again.

"Deal." Cam whispered back as our lips met for a kiss. This time Cam was more active and the two of us ended up making out right there. I remember his hand going up my back under my shirt and my hands feeling his chest. I'm pretty sure I pooped one or two of his top buttons on his shirt, but I don't think either of us cared.

**-PRESENT-**

"Hunter....Earth to Hunter..." Came Cam's voice. I blinked and shook my head, clearing it of the images of the past. "You OK?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah, just thinking." I said.

"About?" He asked. I smirked.

"How much I want to kiss you right now." I said. Cam blushed a bit.

"Not here." He said. "We might shock the newbies." He said. I chuckled and put an arm around his shoulder and led him away.

"I think I saw some benches over here." I said. We walked for a bit then stopped.

"It looks like their occupied at the moment." Cam said. No kidding. There on the bench were Blake and Tori in the middle of a heavy make out session. "We should give them their privacy." Cam said, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah." I said. We went off deeper into the park and found some other benches and sat down. Cam leaned in and captured my lips in his. I wrapped my arms around his waist as the two of us enjoyed the taste of one another.

END FOR NOW.


	4. For Being You

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Takes place during Blake and Tori's embarrassing encounter with Cassidy and Devin and Cam and Hunter's search for a make-out location. Dustin and Marah talk while she reminisces

Category: Dustin/Marah

Note: Told in Marah's POV

------

I could feel Dustin's fingers gently graze the side of my face as he smoothed my hair behind my ear. I smiled lazily and laid my head against his shoulder.

"Hey, uh, Marah?" He asked nervously.

"Hmm?" I asked. Dustin gently lifted my face up so he looked into my eyes.

"I..." He began. "I didn't hurt you or anything when-" He said. "When I was like, you know, evil?" He asked. I smiled a bit wider. It touched my heart deeply that he would be so worried about hurting me.

"No." I said honestly. "I mean the only thing that happened was when Lothor first showed up on the Academy grounds and you three appeared, Kapri and I went up to you guys-I went up to you and Kapri went up to Shane-and we thought everything would be good and I took your hand but you snatched it away." I told him. That part of the day wasn't exactly great. For a moment, I thought he had recoiled from me because he had realized that I was a total waste of his time and he never wanted anything to do with me again.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I mean, you're not just saying that just to spare my sanity?" He said. I turned in his lap so I was facing him. I put my arms around his neck.

"I'm sure." I said, kissing the tip of his nose. He laughed softly. I took it to be my personal mission to always lighten his mood with a light kiss and a funny comment here and there. He was mine and it was my responsibility to keep him happy. It was my constant reminder that I needed to prove myself that I wasn't the same girl he met when Beevil was around. I wasn't proving it to him; I was proving myself to myself. Dustin is what made me happy and I had to work to keep it in my life. I didn't exactly know this when he and I first talked after the Beevil incident all those months ago. Rocky beginning would be an understatement.

**-FLASHBACK-**

It was the day that Kapri and I joined the Academy. The rangers, well, former rangers, had decided to have a bar-b-que. Kapri and I had overheard the planning of it and figured they wouldn't think of inviting us so we just planned on settling in our new quarters at the Academy. We were both shocked when Tori came by and invited us. I figured all the rangers would hate us because of our former alliance to Uncl......Lothor. I thought they'd especially hate me because of what I did to Dustin, but I guess we were wrong on both counts. We were sitting in the park and Kapri was busy talking Shane's ear off. I was sitting by a tree by myself, unsure what to do or who to speak to.

"Hey." Tori said as she came up to be and sat beside me. I gave a half smile.

"Hi." I replied.

"How come you're sitting off here by yourself?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Taking it all in, I guess." I said.

"Taking all of what in?" She asked.

"Everything that's happened today." I said. "I mean, one minute Kapri and I are thinking we'll finally earn our Unc-Lothor's respect, then he's leaving us for dead with Cam, then I'm here. It's all a little too much."

"You don't want to call him your Uncle, huh?" Tori deduced. I shook my head.

"I mean, he never exactly was warm and caring but Kapri and I thought if we proved ourselves he'd love us. Except even after we tricked Vexacus and everything, he still didn't care about us. I guess there just isn't pleasing some people." I said bitterly.

"Is that why you tricked Dustin, to prove yourself?" She asked. Oh that dreaded question. I sighed.

"I knew that was going to come up eventually." I said.

"Marah," Tori said. "I saw the look on your face when Dustin said he had trusted you. It was like you had some sort of inner conflict going on."

"I guess I was just shocked that someone who didn't even know me could show more warmth towards me then my actual family did." I admitted. I looked over and saw Dustin talking to Blake. I figured they were discussing that motocross stuff. Tori followed my gaze. "Of course, I betrayed the one person who did care about me by trying to prove myself to Lothor." I said, looking down. Tori put an arm around my shoulders, an act that took me by surprise.

"Hey, you've got Cam and Sensei now, not to mention all of us. We care about you." She said, trying to comfort me.

"You mean that?" I asked, shocked that she'd say that to someone who, up until a few hours ago, was the enemy.

"Yeah." Tori said, giving me a kind smile. It was infectious, because I found myself smiling right back at her. I looked back to the ground.

"Thank you." I said. "I think I just need some time on my own, just to think through all these changes." I said. I got up.

"All right." Tori said. "But if you need to talk to someone, I've been told I'm a good listener." She said. I nodded and walked off to a quiet part of the park about twenty feet away from the others. I had passed Dustin and Blake but couldn't bring myself to look over at Dustin, still figuring out what to do. I found a bench and sat down, staring over at the setting sun.

"Marah?" Came a voice. I turned and saw Dustin coming over. My mouth suddenly felt very very dry. Dustin now stood by the bench. "Everything all right?" He asked. I nodded.

"Mmm-hmm." I said. "I-I just wanted to uh wa-watch the uh s-sunset." I stammered nervously. I looked away, trying to hide my blush. I heard Dustin give a small chuckle.

"Oh." He said. "Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Yes, I mean, no, I mean, sure have a seat." I said quickly, moving over on the bench. I figured he wouldn't want to sit too close to me.

"Thanks." He said. He sat down and put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He stared at the horizon. I tried to do the same, but my eyes kept wandering back over to him. After a while, the silence began to drive me insane.

"Kapri and I don't really get to watch the sunset a lot." I blurted out.

"Right, I guess you couldn't see it from a space ship." Dustin replied. I wasn't sure if he meant that as a mere comment or an insult of some sort.

"Right." I said. I turned back to the setting sun. The sky was a mixture of soft pinks, purples and oranges. I tried to concentrate on the colors so as to avoid saying anything dumb.

"So, what made you guys decide to join the academy?" Dustin asked. I blinked. I actually wasn't sure why we joined the academy. I guess we figured it was just a given that we would.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I mean, I guess we wanted to be close to Sensei and Cam, you know, get to know our family."

"A family you were trying to destroy just yesterday." Dustin pointed out. I bit my lip.

"We all make mistakes." I said softly.

"Yeah." Dustin spat out. I knew he was thinking that trusting me all those weeks ago was his mistake. I looked down. Tori had been wrong. Not _everyone _was quick to accept me with open arms.

"I understand that you're mad at me." I said. Dustin snorted. "OK, maybe mad's an understatement." I said. "And if you want to just never even acknowledge my existence, I wouldn't blame you for it, heck, I'd expect it." I said. I got up and went to walk away.

"Wait a minute." Dustin said. He got up and turned me to face him. "Don't do that whole selfless apologetic thing; we both know selflessness and apologetic tendencies aren't things you possess." He said. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. I figured he'd be mad at me, but I never thought he'd be this cold. I guess I really did hurt him. "So, if betrayal is your response to people who trust you and help you, I'm wondering, what are you going to do to Cam once you get all the kindness you need from him?"

"Dustin." I pleaded softly.

"What? You can be cold and mean but if someone dishes it back to you, you can't take it?" He asked. I took a deep breath and stared at him straight in the eye. His mean expression flickered a bit. I guess he didn't expect me to be crying.

"Yeah, that's it." I said sarcastically. "Now, leave me alone." I snatched my arm away and turned to walk away. I thought it would be a graceful exit........if it wasn't for that gofer hole that I didn't see. My foot got stuck in it and the rest of my body fell forward. "Ahh." I let out.

"Marah!" I heard Dustin yell. I pulled my foot out of the hole and sat up as Dustin went to my side and kneeled beside me. "Are you ok?" He asked. I glared at him.

"As if you care." I snapped back at him. I stood up, ready to walk away, only to get a shooting pain up my leg the moment I put my weight on the foot that had been in the hole. "Oww." I whimpered, losing my balance. I expected to fall down on the ground, but I ended up falling into someone's arms. I looked to see Dustin had jumped up to his feet and caught me as I fell. I looked at his face. The cold, uncaring mask that had been there had slipped away to reveal the caring face that I had seen all those weeks ago. The face I had fallen for in the first place. The face I betrayed. I struggled to get back on my feet.

"Marah, you're hurt." He said.

"I can take care of myself." I said. I heard Dustin sigh and next thing I knew he had picked me up like some groom carrying a bride over a threshold. "What are you doing?" I asked, shocked. Dustin didn't answer. He carried me over to the bench and set me down. He kneeled in front of me and lifted my hurt foot. He pulled my sneaker off. I stared at him. He set the sneaker aside and pulled my sock off. The chill air hitting my bare foot startled me a bit. He placed his hand against my heel and pushed down. I nearly jumped at the pain I felt.

"Does that hurt?" He asked.

"Of course it does!" I hissed through clenched teeth. "What, saying mean things wasn't enough, now it's time for the physical torture?" I asked. Dustin didn't respond. He ran his fingers over the sides of my ankle, and then examined it.

"It's not sprained." He said. "Just twisted." He looked up and then sat next to me.

"Oh, no snide remark, like, 'just twisted, like you'?" I asked.

"It looks like you took care of that." Dustin replied. I gave an annoyed grunt.

"Just go away." I said, wiping at my cheek. Dustin looked at me. He gave a sigh.

"I.." He began to say. "I'm sorry." He said. He turned to look at the setting sun. "I guess I was harboring some anger about what happened and it came out." I looked at him. He seemed genuinely sorry.

"I guess I deserved it though." I said softly. Dustin turned to look at me.

"No, you didn't." He said. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past."

"I....I'm sorry about hurting you." I said. Dustin gave a laugh and smiled.

"Nah, I wasn't hurt." He said. "You got to do what ya got to do, right?"

"Dustin." I said. "I know I hurt you." I said. I took a deep breath. "And I've been hurting so much because of that."

"What do you mean?" He asked. I sighed and kept my eyes lowered as if he was some great and all powerful god and I was just a lowly peasant. I felt him take my chin in his hand and tilt my face up to meet his. "Marah?" He asked. I shyly turned my head out of his grasp and pulled by sock back onto my hurt foot. I was working on pulling my sneaker back onto it without causing pain when Dustin grabbed my hands and made me look at him. "Marah, why have you been hurting?" He asked.

"Dustin, I really don't want to talk about this." I said softly. Dustin blinked and released my hands. I went back to struggling with my sneaker. I guess after a minute or so of me grunting and sighing, Dustin was getting a little irritated. He got down in front of me again and slid my sneaker onto my foot. "Thanks." I said numbly. Dustin stared up at me but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I felt unworthy and disgusting for some reason. Dustin represented all the regret and pain I felt from my old existence, and looking at him made my stomach churn.

"Marah, look at me." He requested softly. I took a deep breath.

"I think we should get back, the others might be wondering where we went off too." I said, trying to change the subject.

"Forget about the others." He said. "Look at me." He repeated his previous request. For some reason, his words and his tone brought fresh tears to my eyes.

"I can't." I whimpered.

"Why not?" Dustin asked. I shrugged, not really wanting to explain myself. Dustin placed a hand on my leg as he got up and sat beside me again. "Is it because of what I said before?" He asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so-"

"It's not you." I interrupted him. Dustin took my face in both his hands, cupping my cheeks and gently forced me to look at him, but I kept my eyes down cast. I felt him run his thumbs across my cheeks, sweeping away my tears. "How can you even look at me?" I asked. "I'm a terrible person."

"No." He said. He leaned in closer to me. "You and your sister have started new lives; you're not the same person that you used to be. And frankly, I never thought you were a terrible person anyway. Maybe a person who made bad judgments, but hey, everyone's guilty of that." I looked at him and saw that we were just inches apart. His lips seemed to beckon me. But what he had just said did make sense, I was a new person. Dustin went in to kiss me, but I turned my head.

"Wait." I said. Dustin looked at me. I reached up and pulled his hands off my face. "You're right, I am a new person." I said. "And I think I want a friendship, a fresh start, like nothing in the past ever happened." I took a breath. "And, maybe, if after a while, you still feel something, we can go on a date or something." Dustin smiled.

"All right." He said. He stuck his hand out to me. "I'm Dustin Brooks." He said. I laughed softly and took his hand.

"Marah Watanabe." I replied.

"Ah, I have a friend by the same last name, Cam, you know him?" He asked, playing along with the first meeting thing.

"Yeah, actually, we're cousins." I said.

"Wow, small world." Dustin said. "Well, listen, my friends and I are having a bar-b-que, would you care to join us?" He asked.

"I'd love to." I said. I went to stand up. "Oh, but I hurt my ankle." I added. Dustin stood up and put his arm around my waist and had me put one arm across his shoulders.

"Here, lean on me." He said. I smiled up at him as the two of us walked back to the others.

**-PRESENT DAY-**

After that night, Dustin and I talked and became friends and two months later we went out on our first date, well, it wasn't really a date. I was training late one night when he came and helped me. We were alone, together, close, and kissed, so I guess it was a date. I was taken out of my thoughts when I felt Dustin gently kiss my neck. I smiled and looked at him.

"What's that for?" I asked. Dustin tightened his hold on me.

"For being you." He said. I looked at him with a puzzled look.

"I didn't know that deserved a kiss." I said. Dustin smiled.

"It deserves a whole lot more then a kiss." He said. My heart fluttered. Dustin knew how to make me feel so special and so giddy, and I loved him for that. I leaned in and planted a small kiss on his lips.


	5. Two Roads

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Takes place in the park while everyone else is having their own thing (Blake and Tori kissing, Dustin and Marah talking, Hunter and Cam looking for a place to make-out, lol)

Category: Trent/Kira/Conner love triangle

Note: Told in Kira's POV. Sorry for the long delay guys.

I felt two sets of eyes on me as the fingers of my left hand glided along the neck of my guitar and the fingers of my right hand plucked the strings. I knew exactly who those two sets belonged to—Trent Fernandez Mercer and Conner McKnight. Two of my good friends and teammates. Although, simply calling them friends would be an understatement. Ethan was my friend, Hayley was my friend, the ninja rangers were fast becoming by new friends……..Heck, even Dr. O was my friend. But Trent and Conner? They weren't just my friends. I remember back when I first met both of them. The second I laid eyes on Conner, I was so sure I had him pegged—a self centered jock pretty boy who thought he was God's gift to the female gender. He didn't exactly disprove that assumption at first, mind you, but the more I was around him the more I saw there was more to him. Dare I say it; Conner McKnight actually had some depth. And then there's Trent. My first impression of him was the complete opposite of that of Conner. The moment I saw him walk into Cyberspace, I was under his spell. He oozed artsy mellow guy, just my type. And it didn't hurt that he wasn't unpleasant to look at. I was so sure he and I would become something but he started to act strange. Only a little while later we all learned he was the evil White ranger. Even after he joined our side, neither of us made a move towards romance. I guess even though I trusted him enough to depend my life on him as well as the other guys during battle, the fact was I couldn't get past the fact that he was the guy who handed our asses to us on a daily basis for a short while. Not that I hold that against him. It wasn't his fault. But it's hard to forget it. Maybe he felt the awkwardness as well, which was why he didn't ask me out on a date and just secretly stared at me whenever he could just like Conner.

"So, you playing at Hayley's this Friday?" Trent asked, tearing me away from my thoughts. I looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. Not sure what songs to do though." I said.

"You should do 'Freak You Out'." Conner suggested. My eyes shifted to him and I couldn't help it as the corners of my mouth turned up into a smile.

"I've already played it." I reminded him. "It was the first song I did, remember?"

"Yeah, but who says you can't do it again? It'll be like a return to the beginning, you know?" He replied with one of his confident smirks that always made something inside me twitch.

"Whatever." I replied, chuckling softly, looking back down at my guitar. I thought for a moment before looking up at him. "You really think I should play 'Freak You Out'?" I asked. Conner nodded.

"I think you should play something new." Trent interjected. My eyes shifted to him.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah, give everyone something fresh, ya know?" He said. "A new insight into the inner thoughts of Kira Ford." He said, giving me a soft warm smile. There was something infectious about it and I couldn't help smile back.

"Well, I didn't know my inner thoughts were so…..insightful." I said. I looked back down at my guitar and went on playing. As I played a long, I thought about what Trent suggested. My inner thoughts? A few hours later, it was starting to get dark. The former rangers said they needed to get back so we all said our goodbyes and as they left, the rest of us went to our separate homes. On my way home, I began thinking about Trent and Conner and as I thought about it, words started forming in my head. I quickened my pace, wanting to get home before I forgot any of the stuff I was thinking up. As soon as I did get home, I rushed up to my room and set my guitar on my bed before pulling out the notebook that served as a home for all my songs. I opened it to a fresh page, pen ready in hand, and started to write.

_Coming across a fork in the road  
don't know which way to go.  
His smiles make me feel warm inside  
but his smiles make me feel alive…….._


End file.
